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HUNGRY.

Dan Pope

HUNGRY is THE podcast for Challenger FMCG & Hospitality Founders wanting to pour gasoline on growth.

We chat with the industry BIG HITTERS. We ooze out the HIDDEN success secrets they’ve never told before and dive deep into their gut-wrenching failures, so you avoid them. We help you grow bigger, faster, stronger. Over the last 6 years, we’ve chatted to some insane guests on the poddy: Rory Sutherland, Seth Godin, Jamie Laing, Spencer Matthews, Tom Kerridge, Sir John Hegarty, The founders of SOHO House, TRIP, The Devonshire, Tony’s Chocolonely, Vita Coco Look, I’ll be blunt, HUNGRY is NOT your normal podcast. HUNGRY is NOT scripted and sterile Q&A interviews. HUNGRY is for pretty much no one. HUNRGY is a deliciously fun, wild and crazy, ADHD rollercoaster of free flowing conversations. got what it takes? Buckle up. Strap in.

get ready to… FEED YOUR HUNGER

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  • 419 episodes
  • Updated Yesterday
  • Explicit

Episodes419

Newest first
  • Jun 9, 2025 · 1 hr 33 min

    The £300m Brand Exit Expert: Tyrrells, Crosta Mollica, St. Pierre, Lily’s Kitchen

    “David Milner has a magic touch” - The Grocer Lilly’s, Tyrell’s, St Pierre, Crosta Mollica Every brand David touches Magics a blossoming, beaming Gold. Big wonga exit Gold. David possesses the sacred compass from challenger brand - house hold brand - Exit El Dorado Our chat is laden with gorgeous, glistening Gold. ON THE MENU: Peppermint Tea Rule: Why 95% of NPD Always fails - constantly ask is this a small idea? Picking The Right Category > Picking The Unique Product and Brand Start with End in Mind - know who you’re going to exit to + constantly ask: how do we add value to this business? Why Product-Market Fit and Brand-Exit fit are two COMPLETELY different things (and what to do about it) How to run £100m brand board meetings: every department must possess a strong opinion on every other department “Are you big enough we don’t crush you”… how to position yourself to exit to a big multi-national Why Founders struggle to think like consumer, but all the common sense decision making comes from thinking like a consumer The “Orange One” St Pierre Rule: build brand at ALL COSTS, “brand” exit multiples > “business” exit multiples The Power of Focus: write a list of 10 ways to grow your business, delete the bottom 7. Does it move the needle? “Don’t be a forced seller when exiting”… give yourself a LONG RUNWAY to exit - start the conversations early Crosta Mollica Garlic Bread Rule: Always innovate close to the core. BUT. Never cannibalise your core range.

  • May 26, 2025 · 2 hr 17 min

    15 Secrets of Le Gavroche’s 57 Year Success - Michel Roux Jr.

    Today’s poddy is sponsored by Square. Square is the all-in-one restaurant tech platform designed to streamline operations and give hospitality business owners the time back to focus on growth. Square is Big In Restaurants - which is the name of its latest UK marketing campaign - offering everything you need for day-to-day service, including Square’s payments, point of sale and reporting capabilities. Whether you’re a single-location FSR, a multilocation QSR, a bar or a multi-concept restaurant, improve the flow of orders and find more ways to keep profit in your pocket. For more information visit 👉 squareup.com This episode needs no introduction. Michel Roux Jr. is a LIVING LEGEND. We dive deep into the business side of running one of World’s most successful restaurants, Le Gavroche. Enjoy ON THE MENU: Albert Roux’s Brutal Honesty Rule: “people are too scared to be brutally honest with their staff” How to become World Class at LITERALLY anything… “what you practice in private, you’re praised for in public” How to manage geniuses with egos - Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Marcus Wareing Workhorses + Egos = Effective Team.. “partner egos with introverts to get the best of your team” Le Gavroche’s Symphony of Service Rule… “every employee must work in every job to understand the total knowledge knowledge” Head Chefs Must be Pot washers… “every employee must work in different jobs to understand the knowledge of the whole team” Polish Your Shoes Rule… “be proud of what you do. how you do one thing is how you do everything” Le Gavroche’s famous Champagne Board Meeting Principles: Be all over your numbers + constantly ask how can we make this better? Dinner Jacket Rule “Reinvention” Rule: constantly adapt + reinvent as culture changes Embrace Hardship. Hardship breeds fulfilment. Hug Your Friends + Call Your Parents Rule. Your Work isn’t everything. Ernest Sheckleton “By Endurance We Conquer”… Don’t Find Your Career. Find Your Way of Life. Way of Life = Longevity. Guest vs. Customer Rule… “there’s a big difference between a guest and a customer”… different framing + words = different behaviours.

  • May 19, 2025 · 1 hr 40 min

    Pret a Manger & Itsu Founder - The Biggest Mistakes I Made Building a Billion Dollar Brand

    Julian said every mistake he ever made boiled down to two things... When you lose sight of these two core relationships... Product <> Customer. Simplicity <> Complexity. Get these right. LITERALLY everything else falls into place. ON THE MENU: How to Scale from 7 to 17 to 70 Sites… “70% of issues you’ll face is losing focus product and customer” Founder Mode = Just make the product better. Never stop making your product better. Complexity is Organisational Cancer. Constantly find simplicity in complexity. Barnacles on a Boat Rule: constantly remove complexity. Why Simplicity is HARD, complexity is EASY. ITSU’s Unique Hiring Policy, the 4 qualities I care I take pride I want to grow I build trust Why Product is always bigger than the founder and the team ITSU Character Qualities Be thankful Be there Be accountable Be brave Be there. Stay close to your customers, always. Never let bad negative energy get in the way of pursuing excellence Brand Building is a very simple formula: customers + product ripped up lost touch of simple formula of product & customer Be objective and truthful about your product + Inconvenient truth: your product is everything Human energy oils the wheels of the machine Seth Godin: This is crap = this is I care Why you must stick with hard that’s where Excellence is built

  • May 12, 2025 · 2 hr 3 min

    Fallow Founders - The Secrets Behind London’s Busiest Restaurant

    Will Murray and Jack Croft are like NO ONE ELSE. Yes, incredible chefs - serving 10/10 BANGING food, But, also GENIUS marketeers, They RIPPED UP the rule book, Zigged when everyone Zagged. Built Fallow, Fowl, Roe to enormously successful restaurants, The World has changed. The way to build a successful restaurant has changed, too. Our conversation shows you how. ON THE MENU: Why Canary Wharf is the Craziest place to open a Restaurant: “lean into site surprises + “adapt to your customers + environment” Why You Must Deliberately put yourself in the shit… “remember at your worst you can still do your best” Cook to Chef to Restauranteur Evolution: “Everything is a positive learning experience” + harness the power of fight or flight Why Your Job as The Restauranteur is the Orchestrator of Energy “Pick high energy> everything” Customers Sixth Sense Rule: “…customers can just tell when the team is unhappy” 900 Cover Sunday‘s Rule = Personal pride + show your team you can get hands dirty How to Use Media to get Bums on Seats: the food must meet the expectation and ACTUALLY taste good Why negativity is SO EASY, yet, positivity is SO HARD… positivity is the right choice How DINNER & Ashley Palmer Watts taught Will & Jack Systems. Systems = Volume + Consistency Why Your Inner Critic is Your Secret Weapon: You’re thick skinned because no one is a greater critic than you Clucking Off Hour Chicken Wings: Always find creative way to pack out your restuarant. Blue Roll On Brand Rule: constantly look for ways to cut money that’s also on brand “conscious creativity” Why Fallow Won’t Put Up Their Prices in 2025: just sell more roasts Remember Everyone you admire is doing way more work behind the scenes than you think The Genius Reason Fallow Give Out Free Tequilla Shots to Customers.. Control the Energy” Ruthless Transparency = Radical Trust: Why Fallow tell customers gross margin %’s Keep it Moving. Always Keep It Moving

  • May 5, 2025 · 2 hr 1 min

    Riverford Founder: 13 New Brand Building Laws + “£30 million will NEVER make you happier than £3 million”

    Founders, please don’t swap your PURPOSE for PROZAC. “when you exit…you’re drowning in the 3 D’s”. “Divorced, Depressed, Dyslexic” - Guy Singh-Watson. Guy breaks ALL the brand building rules Riverford Organic. Famously, told the supermarkets to F*CK OFF. Unapologetically, gave away over 26% of his exit dough BACK to the team. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this poddy!! ON THE MENU: Nature & Brand Building Lessons: Humility + Strength of Diversity + Collectivism Why Richard Dawkins “Selfish-Gene” is WRONG… “collectivism and collaboration happens in nature….we’re not competing all the time” Charles Darwin’s “Natural Selection” + Survival of The Fittest Brand “Diversity builds the fittest brand” Founders ACCEPT you have NO CONTROL “…we are just a cork being kicked down the stream” but also ACCEPT you control everything How Founders can use their Demons wisely “mental breakdowns are doors to epiphany” Why Creativity is overthinking used positively and Anxiety is overthinking used negatively Why Rich People are Tw*ts and Boring Company Why Neo-Liberalism Religion has ruined the world “…money became a proxy for love” Why Self-Love = Accepting you don’t HAVE to be perfect Why Riverford IGNORE all traditional marketing… “the best marketing is DIFFERENT story telling” + NEVER let sales dictate creative The Human Condition isn’t the Neo-Liberal Meta-Narrative: Macro Neo-Liberal, Micro Collectivist Jonathan Hiadts: “90% chimp, 10% Bee” brand building theory

  • Apr 28, 2025 · 1 hr 40 min

    Coq Fighter Founder: How to Rebuild Your Confidence & Overcome Self-Doubt

    Loved this one with Aussie Donnie Troy from Coqfighter. The early stage of the brand building journey is fun. you’re so naive, everything is new everything is fresh It’s better than your “…old boring corporate job” But, at some point, it becomes hard. Unimaginably hard. Doubt soars in. Confidence wanes The joy fades a little. Paul Graham calls it The Trough of Sorrow This episode will help you through Your Trough of Sorrow With a healthy seasoning of marketing, fried chicken and Lynard Skynard “free bird” Huge thanks to my boy for setting this one up. ON THE MENU: Why going ALL IN on your life’s work will feel like “Work feels like play but also pain” Nassim Taleb’s Barbell strategy for successful fried chicken shop: Micro/Macro, Systems/customer flair Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: why you need peace from mind vs. peace of mind Why you must treat every part of your business as a “community” Too Many Stickers Rule: Why Bottom Up Leadership ALWAYS beats Top Down Seth Godin Competitors vs Colleagues Rule: Don’t hate your competitors Why London is The Best City to Launch a Food & Drink Brand A La Carte Fried Chicken Menu + Alex Smith’s Unique Points of Disagreement Rule Brand Building Lessons from Harley Davidson “offer people Status and Affiliation”

  • Apr 21, 2025 · 1 hr 40 min

    Bleecker Burger Founder: Hospitality is BROKEN for Women and LGBTQ+ (here’s how we fix it)

    How Do We Fix Poor Mental Health in Hospitality for Women and the LGTBQ+ community? Zan Kaufman of Bleecker Burger has some thoughts. Intense. Hilarious. Raw. Soul-irking. Thought-twisting conversation with Zahn Bleecker Burger. 🎟️🙏🎟️WIN free tickets to the next supper club, fill out this form (takes 45 seconds) 👉https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfk9jGlMWX-nZ-WJnIAOHyVzxx0dd_XmeqWH4hrJNIq0yOHJw/viewform ON THE MENU: Accept your why and purpose will FLUCTUATE as you build your brand Your Circle of Us vs Circle of Now Diverse should make truth Why Racism and Sexism is rife in every organisation + how to solve it How Bleecker solve sexual harassment “no one’s immune to it” How Bleecker build a company culture that actually LISTENS to its employees It’s an extension of you, how you see if your suppliers are an issue? Who are your suppliers? If you’re suppliers aren’t inclusive BIN THEM IMMEDIATElY The Bleecker handbook & Nudging theory: nothing happens over night How to Lead with Humanity at the core of everything to help others unconscious bias in these companies & Bleecker has unconscious bias How to actually hire a diverse workforce Simple is NOT easy. Consistency. onion wonderland - Alice and Wonderland journey into the beef underworld Consistency gets you out of bed. Consistency should be hard. Change happens from consistently having hard conversations. Create a history of open hard uncomfortable conversations as you get bigger

  • Apr 14, 2025 · 1 hr 32 min

    How To Be a World Class Operator - Ole & Steen, Wagamama, SoHo House, Caravan Managing Director

    The biggest HURDLE every challenger brand faces? The moment a founder hires a Senior executive. Founder <> Operator tension is always bull-ragingly bombastic Operators joining challenger brands is like a well-polished CowBoy mounting a Raged Spanish Bull Operators must control founders rage, steer vision, channel energy, calm zeal a Supple Art, Elusive Science so many get wrong Honour to sit down for an Operator Masterclass with Graham xxx from Ole & Steen HUGE!!! thanks to legends at UberEats and Sam Nicanui for setting up this conversation. 🙏WIN free tickets to the next supper club, fill out this form (takes 45 seconds) 👉https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfk9jGlMWX-nZ-WJnIAOHyVzxx0dd_XmeqWH4hrJNIq0yOHJw/viewform ON THE MENU: Why Fish & Chip Shops Selling Chicken Nuggets it’s a route to failure. Do. One Thing Well. The Operators Role = “take the sting out of a founder” + share same language as founder Always Under Promise, Over Deliver when managing founders expectations Why Operators “Accept there will be clashes with the founders in first 6 months” Why Operators must always start with an “empty bank account of trust” when joining a challenger brand A problem only exists in the absence of the right conversation 40/70 Decision Making Principle: 40% Information isn’t enough, 70% Information is too much + find your sweet spot Stop. Start. Continue. How To Create Consistently Great 1-2-1’s With Your Team When Effectively Managing People Always Ask: What is the end goal? Always Remember. Responsibility is your ability to respond.

  • Apr 7, 2025 · 2 hr 16 min

    The Fat Duck & The Devonshire Head Chef - The MOST Creative Podcast I’ve EVER Recorded

    TOTAL honour to sit down for a gallivanting chinwag with this absolute G Ashley Palmer-Watts. Ash is a creative genius. Head Chef at The Fat Duck leading it 3 Michelin stars. Head Chef at DINNER by Heston. Genius behind The Devonshire with mcc. Creativity is water, you swim around, up and over, through obstacles. No matter what industry you work in this poddy will 10x your creativity. 🙏WIN free tickets to the next supper club, fill out this form (takes 45 seconds) 👉 ON THE MENU: The Fat Duck 3* Adventure Creativity: “Be on a long mission where no one knew where it was going” Wu Tang Clan & The Fat Duck Creativity = Diversity of thinking + Diversity of knowledge Simple Creativity = “creativity can be incredibly simple, it can be a better way of doing things” Tension Creativity = “dance in the tension between WHACKY ideas + ACTUALLY solving a problem” Quentin Tarantino Creativity = “Your Pen (and knife) Is An Antenna To God” 1% Creativity = “Always look at everything, how can I make it better, how can I make it more consistent” Vision Creativity: constantly ask: “What would it be like to experience the end goal?” Problem Creativity “if creativity isn’t solving a problem, it’s not creativity:” Meat Fruit Creativity… “don’t take anything at face value…it can be done”: Tiramisu & That’s Not Me Anymore Creativity = put your CURRENT soul into CURRENT work. Be Like Water Creativity = “the best in the world adapt like service to the individual/customer, accept each story is different” Heston vs. Ashley Creativity = “Question Everything” vs. “What’s the emotional residue?” Bouba/Kiki Creativity = the sound of things, changes our perception of things